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LOGAN -- After Danyelle Snelgro finished her senior season at Utah State, a season in which she helped lead the Aggies to their first ever WAC Tournament victory, her playing career wasn't over. The former Utah State women's basketball star is now preparing to play professionally in Jyvalsklya, Finland for the upcoming basketball season.
"What a great opportunity for Danny to continue playing the sport she loves. I have no question that she is prepared to be successful on and off the court in Finland," USU head coach Raegan Pebley said. "She will continue to develop as a player, contribute to her team's success and have a unique experience living overseas."
Snelgro is happy for the opportunity to play in Finland. "I just got a call a few days ago. I was working in Rhode Island, and I came back to Logan to visit for a week or so and got this great news," Snelgro said. She said her agent got in contact with the coaches in Finland. The coaches were able to look at game tape and previous stats from her Aggie career before they made the decision to sign her.
The Altadena, Calif. native will definitely be in an unfamiliar place this season.
"I've never been out of the states," Snelgro said. "I have no idea what to expect but they (the coaches) told me it's a pretty good transition from college to international basketball. They said they speak a lot of English over there so that should be good," she said with a laugh.
The former Aggie guard said she keeps in contact with some teammates and coaches from USU.
"Everybody was really excited for me. They are really supportive, and that's what the Aggies were about the whole time I was there," Snelgro said.
In 2009, Snelgro became the first Utah State women's basketball player to earn first-team all-Western Athletic Conference honors. She was also named to the WAC all-defensive team. She led the Aggies in scoring (14.2 ppg), assists (128) and steals (73) in 2008-2009. She is one of only six Aggies to reach the 1,000 point milestone for her career and now stands at fifth all-time on the Aggie list with 1,043 career points. She is also USU's all-time steals leader with 216.
"We hope this is the first of many Aggie women's basketball players to have the opportunity to play professional women's basketball," Pebley said. "We have three coaches on our staff with experience as professional players. As a program, we feel we are not only preparing our players to excel within the WAC but also in organizations beyond college."
Snelgro is very appreciative of the opportunity that lies ahead and for the experience Aggie basketball gave her. For now Snelgro said, "I'm just taking it all in as it comes right now. I just want to work hard and be the best player I can be for the team."
